A Long-Forgotten Cult ’80s Dark Fantasy Film Will Finally Stream in America

September 28, 2025

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By the prick of my thumb, something wicked is finally coming to streaming. The rise in popularity of streaming has resulted in many forgotten cult classics finding new audiences in the 21st Century. But one of the best cult movies of the ’80s, which has been unavailable on streaming for years, will finally be available digitally to American audiences. The film is adapted from the novel by the iconic sci-fi writer, Ray Bradbury. But it isn’t a sci-fi movie that will finally land on streaming. Instead, it’s one of Bradbury’s spookiest and darkest stories, which was adapted into an underrated film in the 1980s, that Disney+ subscribers can soon get their hands on.

Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, along with Mr. Dark, will finally arrive on Disney+. That’s right, Something Wicked This Way Comes will make its way onto streaming this October. Directed by Jack Clayton, Ray Bradbury penned the screenplay for the film, which opened in theaters in 1983. The film was famously a bomb, grossing just $8.4 million against a budget of around $19 million. However, the film’s home release and video store rentals (remember those?) helped the movie earn a small cult-following. Unfortunately, that cult following has spent the last few years scrambling to find the film on Disney+… until this October.

Something Wicked This Way Comes features a great cast. Vidal Peterson and Shawn Carson portrayed Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, with Jonathan Pryce as the iconic Mr. Dark. The film also featured the likes of Jason Robards, Diane Ladd, and Royal Dano. The film follows the two best friends who yearn for adventure. When a mysterious carnival comes to town, led by Mr. Dark, the pair can’t wait to get in on the festivities, but not all is as it seems.

‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ Is a Dark Children’s Film

Disney

Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes novel is one of the best Fall reads, as the story is set on the night before Halloween. The actual contents of the novel aren’t scary, but Bradbury writes an ambience into the story that haunts the characters throughout. It’s that same feeling of dread and terror that looms over the movie adaptation. Jack Clayton’s film is dark, and, honestly, it’s slightly surprising that the film was marketed towards children. It remains to be the darkest Disney kids’ film ever made, and that includes some of the gruesome deaths in Disney’s animated classics.

When Something Wicked This Way Comes was released, critics didn’t quite know what to make of the movie. It currently holds a decent 61% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, from a mix of original and more contemporary reviews. More recent viewings from audiences have also earned the film a similar 64% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Most critics enjoyed the film, even if Clayton attempted levels of CGI without the proper technology being available at the time. Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of those movies that everyone should watch at least once. And it’s now even easier because it will be on Disney+ this October.